Electric circulatory water heater attachment for conventional internal-combustion engines



2,470,485 CHMENT May 17, 1949 E. HAUGLAND ELECTRIC CIRCULATORY WATER HEATER ATTA FOR CONVENTIONAL INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed May 22, 1947 mgz INVENTOR. Earl Haug/ahc? Patented May 17, 1949 ELECTRIC CIRCULATORY WATER HEATER ATTACHMENT FOR CONVENTIONAL IN- TERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Earl Haugland, Hampden, N. Dak.

Application May 22, 1947, Serial No. 749,836

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to an electric heater expressly designed and appropriately constructed for attachment to an internal combustion engine, the same being located between the block and the radiator, this for purposes of heating the water in the cooling system in an obvious manner.

The purpose of the invention is to serve as a so-called temporary heater, and it functions to sufilciently heat the water while the vehicle is in the garage to render starting easier during cold weather spells.

I am aware that several devices for this purpose have been in use, for instance such as described in the U. S. Patent No. 2,400,838. However, these devices which have been used hitherto are heavy, bulgy, expensive, and are so difiicult to install that frequently mechanical changes on the motor are necessary and that they can be installed properly only by an experienced, skilled mechanic, thus increasing the cost considerably.

Therefore, the main object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which can be installed easily and quickly without the application of any considerable amount of skill and with very simple tools by anyone who is able to remove and to replace a radiator hose.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which consists of only a few very simple and inexpensive parts which can be assembled easily and quickly, so that this device can be manufactured and sold at a very reasonable price, yet which is sturdy, durable, and well adapted for the purpose for which it is intended Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which, without any structural changes, can be made for installation into used cars as well as for installation into new cars while they are being assembled.

Yet a further object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which, when installed, is almost entirely contained within and concealed by a radiator water hose, so that it will not take up any space under the hood of an automobile nor will it impair the accessibility to the various parts of the engine for the purpose of servicing or repairing the same.

Still a further object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which is light in weight and small in size, so that it can be shipped easily and at a low cost and can be stored by the retailer and Wholesaler in a relatively small space.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view on the line l-l of Figure 2 of a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a top View of a radiator hose into which the device has been installed; and

Figure 3 is an end view of the hose of Figure 2.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing the numeral l denotes a radiator hose, the device being preferably installed into the lower radiator hose that leads from the bottom of the radiator up to the engine block. Then only one half of the water in the cooling system needs to be heated. Water in the motor will be warm before the thermostat opens. In most cars there would be about two gallons of water to heat. For installing the device, the hose l is provided with two holes 2 and 3 through which are extended the threaded conductive bolts 4 and 5, which are extended through a porcelain tube 6 or through any other suitable insulating waterand-heat-resistant tube whose outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the radiator hose l. The bolts 4 and 5 are secured to the tube 6 by means of nuts I, 8, 9 and It! with washers ll interposed therebetween or by any other suitable means. An electric heating element l2, for instance a coiled wire of high resistance or the like, is attached to the tube 6 and has its terminals connected to the bolts 4 and 5 respectively. While in the instance shown the heating element I2 is on the outer side of the tube 6, it will be obvious, that the heating element could be arranged also on the inner side of the tube 6.

To the bolt 4 there is secured, and electrically insulated therefrom, the shell 54 of a screw base plug. I prefer to carry out this feature of my invention in the manner shown in the drawing, where it will be seen that the bolt 4 is extended through the center of the bottom of the shell l4 and through an insulating disk l5, which is placed on the inner side of the bottom of the shell I4. A nut It with a washer l'l secures the shell I4 to the bolt 4 at the outer side of the hose 1. The bolt 5 is electrically connected to the shell M by means of an insulated wire I8, which is connected at l9 to the shell It by means of soldering or the like, and which is secured to the rbol t 5 iby'means of a nut t9 and a washer 20.

Inside of the hose I there are provided on the bolts 4 and 5 the nuts 2| and the washers 22 for the purpose of keeping the ,parts .6 and 12 in spaced relation to the inner side of the hose l. A plug-in socket 23 is screwed into the shell M in a well-known manner for plugging into it a contact 24 (Figure 3), Which "is connected to a source of current (not shown) by means of an insulated cable 25.

The heating elements l2 can be made for different voltages from thirty-two to two hundred and forty volts substantially the same man-- ner as is the case with other electrical equipment. {The contact 24 is inserted as long as it is necessary to heat the water in the engine for attaining alquick starting.

since pertain changes may be made in the aboue article and difierent embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic nd sp cific features of the invention herein described, and .all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

An electric circulatory water heater attachment for conventional internal combustion engines comprising an insulating water-and-heatresistant open tube which fits loosely into a radiator hose; an electrical heating "coil being wound upon the outer side of said tube; a threaded conductive bolt being extended from one terminal of said heating element through said hose, said tube, the center of the bottom of a screw base plug, an insulating disk and having said screw base plug secured to its end portion; another threaded conductive bolt being extended from the other terminal of said heating element through said .hose and being connected by means of a wire outside of said hose to the shell of said screw base plug, and nuts on said bolts being interposed between said tube and said hose for keeping said tube spaced relation to the inner :side of said hose, all substantially as described.

.EARL HAUGLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

STATES PATENTS 

